<div align="center"> <span style="font-size:24pt;line-height:100%">@</span> February 8, 2007 - 8:00 pm ET<span style="color:#FF0000">Game on TNT</span></div><span style="color:#6600CC">Los Angeles Lakers</span> <span style="color:#FFCC00">(30-19)</span><span style="color:#FFCC00">PG</span> <span style="color:#6600CC">Smush Parker</span> <span style="color:#FFCC00">SG</span> <span style="color:#6600CC">Kobe Bryant</span> <span style="color:#FFCC00">SF</span> <span style="color:#6600CC">Vladimir Radmanovic</span> <span style="color:#FFCC00">PF</span> <span style="color:#6600CC">Lamar Odom</span> <span style="color:#FFCC00">C</span> <span style="color:#6600CC">Andrew Bynum</span> <span style="color:#FFCC00">Key Bench Players:</span> <span style="color:#6600CC">Maurice Evans, Jordan Farmar, Ronny Turiaf, Brian Cook, Sasha Vujacic</span><span style="color:#0000FF">Detroit Pistons</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">(29-18)</span><span style="color:#FF0000">PG</span> <span style="color:#0000FF">Chauncey Billups</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">SG</span> <span style="color:#0000FF">Rip Hamilton</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">SF</span> <span style="color:#0000FF">Tayshaun Prince</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">PF</span> <span style="color:#0000FF">Rasheed Wallace</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">C</span> <span style="color:#0000FF">Chris Webber</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">Key Bench Players:</span> <span style="color:#0000FF">Antonio McDyess, Lindsey Hunter, Jason Maxiell, Carlos Delfino, Dale Davis</span> Injury Report<span style="color:#FFCC00">LAL:</span> <span style="color:#6600CC">Luke Walton will not play (sprained ankle)</span><span style="color:#FFCC00">LAL:</span> <span style="color:#6600CC">Kwame Brown will not play (sprained ankle)</span><span style="color:#FFCC00">LAL:</span> <span style="color:#6600CC">Chris Mihm is out for season (recovering from ankle surgery)</span> Who To Watch Out For<span style="color:#6600CC">Kobe Bryant</span><span style="color:#FFCC00">Season Stats: 28.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 5.5 apg</span><span style="color:#6600CC">Lamar Odom</span><span style="color:#FFCC00">Season Stats: 17.0 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 4.9 apg</span><span style="color:#0000FF">Chauncey Billups</span><span style="color:#FF0000">Season Stats: 18.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 7.7 apg</span><span style="color:#0000FF">Rip Hamilton</span><span style="color:#FF0000">Season Stats: 22.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.8 apg</span><span style="color:#0000FF">Rasheed Wallace</span><span style="color:#FF0000">Season Stats: 12.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.7 bpg</span><span style="color:#0000FF">Tayshaun Prince</span><span style="color:#FF0000">Season Stats: 15.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.1 apg</span> Rookie Watch <span style="color:#FFCC00">LAL:</span> <span style="color:#6600CC">Jordan Farmar</span><span style="color:#000000">Overall Selection: 26</span><span style="color:#FFCC00">Season Stats:</span> <span style="color:#6600CC">5.5 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 2.1 apg</span><span style="color:#6600CC">LA's X-Factor</span><span style="color:#6600CC">Smush Parker</span><span style="color:#FFCC00">Season Stats: 11.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.6 spg</span><span style="color:#6600CC">When Smush wants to, he can be a pretty good defender. He needs to want it tonight, because Chauncey Billups will kill him if he's not aggressive with him. He can shoot the 3, take you off the dribble, post up, come off picks, and create for others. Smush obviously has a tough assignment, guarding one of the best PG's in the league.</span><span style="color:#3333FF">Detroit's X-Factor</span><span style="color:#3333FF">Chris Webber</span><span style="color:#FF0000">Season Stats: 11.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 3.3 apg</span><span style="color:#FF0000">As A Piston: 12.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.3 apg</span><span style="color:#3333FF">C-Webb is going to have some tough matchups tonight. Bynum is has a pretty decent size advantage on C-Webb and he's a pretty good rebounder. Webber taking Bynum out to about to the 15-17 foot range will help Detroit on the glass, though. He could also be matched up with Odom, and that might make more sense for LA to put Bynum down low on Sheed. But when C-Webb is on Odom (and I'm sure Tayshaun will guard him too), he needs to stay in front of him as best as he can. Odom is such a tough cover with his mixture of size, athleticism, ballhandling, shooting ability, and passing ability. C-Webb has his work cut out for him tonight, that's for sure.</span> <div align="center">Key Matchup vs. <span style="color:#6600CC">Kobe Bryant</span> <span style="color:#000000">vs.</span> <span style="color:#3333FF">Rip Hamilton</span></div><span style="color:#000000">Rip can run Kobe all he wants, but it really won't slow him down once crunch time comes about. That's Kobe's time. But you have two All-Star 2-guards going head-to-head tonight, both great at what they do.</span> CelticBalla's Extra Thoughts/Notes- LA has won their last 2 games.- Detroit is on a 4 game winning streak. CelticBalla's PredictionI see Detroit winning this one. LA has had some problems on the road this year, and Detroit is coming along now. They are finally getting into a little groove/comfort zone. Let's hope they can keep it up, maybe one team in the Eastern Conference could be taken seriously then!
This will be an amazing game. I'll go with Detroit too. It's always fun to watch Kobe play, I want to see if Tayshaun can hold him to under 20 tonight. I think he can too.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (SunnyD @ Feb 8 2007, 05:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>This will be an amazing game. I'll go with Detroit too. It's always fun to watch Kobe play, I want to see if Tayshaun can hold him to under 20 tonight. I think he can too.</div>I would bet you anything that Kobe goes for AT LEAST 25 points. Tayshaun is a good defender, but Kobe is way too good even for him to keep under 20. I went with the lakers. Although I really think it is up in the air, and that both teams are good, I just really like the Lakers team, and Kobe in general. Bynum is going to have to have a big game downlow, and Kobe and Lamar are obviously going to have to do good as well. 97-94 Lakers is my prediction.
So far so good.28-17 Pistons at the end of the 1st.Kobe with only 3 points.Webber starting off great AGAIN, with 8/5/3
It's 22-31 Pistons. Lakers aren't playing good so far. I hope Odom plays good. I chose him in NBA Pick one.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Tayshaun Prince is doin better than Kobe - in every statistical category</div>How is that possible? Kobe>Telephone Pole
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Michael Bryant @ Feb 8 2007, 10:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>How is that possible? Kobe>Telephone Pole</div>im talkin about in the game.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>im talkin about in the game</div>I know. LA needs to stop losing to these guys. It's not 1990 anymore!
<span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS">That was quite a slaughter. The final two dunk misses from Carlos Delfino and Maxiell were insane. I wish at least one of them would have dunked. Maxiell missed the putback slam and Delfino missed an insane under-the-basket, to-the-otherside dunk.</span>
The Lakers played like crap in this game. Probably the worst game I have ever seen Kobe play and the rest of the team could not throw a pea in the ocean. The long road trip might be getting to them. I couldn't believe Brian Cook and the way he acted towards Phil.
